Wednesday, December 14, 2016

People Will Know You By What You Say

Those pesky little social media posts. They are pretty telling about a person. I'm sure most people would probably cringe at the thought of some of these social media posts and emails being read back in a public spotlight. Yet, it seems no one stops to think about it at the time they write them.

People will know you by what you say. They really will. If you want to get a feel for what someone is like, just take a read down through their social media postings. It will say plenty.

Imagine if someone that didn't know you was given "opposition research" on you. All of their social media posts and emails and things they said was printed out in a detailed and fact-oriented paper. What would it say about you? How would your words present you to the world?

I think there are many if not most people who would be embarrassed if your minister started quoting you in a church service or maybe in a public school meeting, your words were read out loud. Maybe, for the guy or girl you were trying to get a date with, someone popped up and shared everything you wrote.

Would your words be helpful?

How about if what you had posted was given to your small child at birth as an instruction manual on how they should treat others. Would it be helpful to them or if they started imitating your words among other children, how would it look?

I'm not saying you can't be real, but what I am saying is that we often try to make others believe one thing about us, while saying just the opposite in our words. We hold ourselves up as the voice for all to follow, yet we forget about following our own advice.

People will know you by what you say...

People will know you by what you say, whether it is good or bad. They will see the real you come out, even if it is a numbed and disconnected display.

To go out and hold yourself up so high and then be so blind as not seeing how much you tear people apart is just not human. Yes, it takes some self control and that is lacking big time in online social media. Facebook and Twitter and other places thrive on this part of human behavior. They have built billion dollar businesses exploiting this in people.

The point is, if you're going to say one thing to the world, let your words match it. Ponder what it is that you say and do because those things show your true colors and intent. It doesn't matter which side of the spectrum you fall on in life, we all do this to some degree.

Let us build and lift one another up so we can all achieve greater heights. As we do this, we will advance the world in a much better way than anything else that can be done. It is up to us to know thyself and determine if our words truly match what we think we say.